4 Traditional Dishes to Celebrate Día de los Muertos
Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is a holiday that honors loved ones who have passed. There are variations of the holiday across different cultures, but Día de los Muertos is the Mexican version of the holiday.
There are many traditions associated with Día de los Muertos – from decorating ofrendas, painting sugar skulls, to guiding spirits with marigolds. On ofrendas, it’s common to offer the meals, often the deceased’s favorite dish, to entice their spirit to visit. Many dishes have deep-rooted family connections while others have specific relations to the holiday.
Now that you know a little bit more about the holiday, join the celebration with these traditional dishes:
Mole Negro
Mole negro is the richest of all mole recipes and a fitting tribute to loved ones. This dish features a wide array of ingredients, including dried ancho chiles, dried guajillo peppers, Mexican chocolate, and more. Not only is the complex flavor profile supposed to entice spirits to visit the ofrenda, but there’s often a lot of family significance associated with the dish. Mole negro recipes are often passed from generation to generation. The dish is also prepared alongside family and eaten with loved ones.
Get the recipe from Dora’s Kitchen.
Calabaza en Tacha
Calabaza en tacha is a traditional Mexican dish that’s often enjoyed during Día de los Muertos. This dish is made of calabaza pumpkin candied in sugar cane juice and other ingredients. The dish is said to symbolize all the sweet memories shared between loved ones throughout life.
Calabaza en tacha has been enjoyed for centuries since calabaza is native to parts of Central America, although, the recipe originally used honey instead of sugar cane.
Get the recipe from Familia Kitchen.
Tamales
Tamales are a significant dish in Mexican cuisine and are extremely popular across all holidays. Tamales are extremely common for Christmas but are also widely consumed during Día de los Muertos. There’s many variations and flavor profiles of tamales, but, unlike mole negro (which is the primary mole flavor for Día de los Muertos), there is no traditional tamal flavor for the holiday. The only standard is that it’s cooked traditionally in either a corn husk or banana leaf.
Get the recipe from Muy Bueno Blog.
Xec
Xec is a side dish that balances the savory flavors of other traditional dishes, like mole negro, pozole, and tamales. Pronounced like ‘sheck,’ this dish is a citrus salad that features jicama, fresh lime juice, and seville (AKA sour) oranges.
Jicama often reaches its peak out of Mexico during November, making this recipes one of the freshest, in-season choices.
